Released through Real Gone by arrangement with ABKCO Records, this twofer features two of the most collectible albums in the entire Maynard Ferguson catalog, the two records he recorded in 1963 for the Cameo label in between his stints at the Roulette and Mainstream labels. Maynard still has his great Roulette band of Lanny Morgan, Willie Maiden, Frank Vicari, Mike Abene, Ronnie Cuber and master arranger Don Sebesky et al. with him on these recordings. Sourced from the original master tapes, this marks the first time these rare gems will be legitimately released on CD. Both albums feature driving big band arrangements of both standards and originals, and we have unearthed an unreleased bonus track from the New Sounds sessions, a take on the classic The Song Is You, exclusively for this reissue. Remastered straight from the original tapes with new liner notes—Maynard’s complete Cameo recordings!

This pair of Grateful Dead shows, taken from an extended East Coast run in the Spring of 1978, not only were among the best of the year, but—with the loving touch of Bear and Betty Cantor-Jackson at the controls—rank as one of the most beautifully recorded entries in the Dick’s Picks series. Both concerts—which appear here minus just two and three songs, respectively—find the group in exceptionally lyrical form on ballads like “Loser,” “Stella Blue,” “Looks Like Rain” and “They Love Each Other.” Also not to be missed is a superlative, slowed-down version of “Friend of the Devil” and the rare performance of Warren Zevon’s “Werewolves of London” as an encore (the band only played it about a dozen times live). Full of diamonds for Deadheads.

This Dick’s Picks volume captures the Dead right in the thick of the legendary 1974 Wall of Sound tour and only two months away from leaving the road for a year-and-a-half hiatus. The Wall of Sound was, of course, the massive sound system designed by Owsley “Bear” Stanley that was so meticulously constructed that, for example, each string of Phil Lesh’s bass had its own speaker (and was so daunting to transport and assemble that it was dismantled after the tour). The result was a crystal-clear sound that to this day stirs controversy among the band’s fans. It certainly complemented and even encouraged the band’s continued move away from the country-rock of Workingman’s Dead towards a jazz fusion sound best expressed by the two epic versions of Playing in the Band found here. As opposed to most Dick’s Picks collections, this four-disc set offers highlights from three consecutive nights of shows rather than presenting shows in their entirety; the result is that each disc stands on its own as a musical statement. Highly rated by aficionados, and possibly the best Wall of Sound set of shows available, in HDCD sound to boot. Never before available in stores.

No singer-songwriter has ever stared at himself in the mirror with quite the intense honesty displayed by Loudon Wainwright III throughout his career, but his first two albums, cut for Atlantic in 1970 and 1971, respectively, really bare the soul to a degree perhaps only rivaled by John Lennon’s first solo album with the Plastic Ono Band. Lust, suicidal feelings, fear of parenthood; all are grist for Loudon’s songwriting mill—with such fearless introspection, little wonder he later became an acclaimed actor. But if this all sounds like a tedious wallow, it’s not, for Wainwright is also probably the funniest singer-songwriter ever (Sample rhyming couplet: “And a baby can spot your shtick/All the coochy coochy coo is a lot of poo poo when you spread it on that thick”). This Real Gone release finally brings to retail the original limited edition Rhino Handmade set that was only available online, and then only for a heartbeat before it sold out, complete with bonus track (“Drinking Song”). These 24 tracks represent Loudon’s complete Atlantic recordings…indispensable stuff!

Featured in the 2015 Film Straight Outta Compton,The D.O.C. (a.k.a. Tracy Lynn Curry) Was a Major Figure in West Coast and Gangsta Rap

The D.O.C. Was a Behind-the-ScenesContributortoSome of the Greatest Rap Albums of All Time Including Dr. Dre’s The Chronic, NWA’s Straight Outta Compton, Eazy-E’s Eazy-Duz-It, and Snoop Dogg’s Doggystyle

Produced by Dr.Dre, His 1989 Debut Album No One Can Do It Better Also Belongs on the Short List of Greatest Rap Albums

However, There Has Never Been an Updated Version of the Original CD Release

This Expanded Edition Presents a Remastered Edition of the Original Album Plus Seven Impossible-to-Find 12” Mixes

With the 2015 release of the film Straight Outta Compton, we at Real Gone Music figured it was about time somebody revisited one of the landmark albums of West Coast rap, The D.O.C.’s No One Can Do It Better. The D.O.C. a.k.a. Tracy Lynn Curry was a behind-the-scenes contributor to some of the biggest and most hallowed rap releases ever, including Dr. Dre’s The Chronic, NWA’s Straight Outta Compton, Eazy-E’s Eazy-Duz-It, and Snoop Dogg’s Doggystyle, and his Dr. Dre-produced debut record lived up to the braggadocio of its title by going platinum, spawning the #1 rap singles “It’s Funky Enough” and “The D.O.C. & The Doctor,” and being hailed by critics nationwide as one of the greatest hip-hop albums ever recorded. However, there has never been an updated reissue of the original 1989 CD, which, like most releases of the early CD era, doesn’t really do the music sonic justice.

Air Supply’s Russell Hitchcock and Graham Russell Ruled the ‘80s Charts with Hits Like “Lost in Love,” “All Out of Love,” “Every Woman in the World,” “The One That You Love,” “Here I Am (Just When I Thought I Was over You,” “Sweet Dreams,” “Even the Nights Are Better,” and “Making Love Out of Nothing at All”

Here they are…the ones that you love. ALL of the hits that the Australian duo of Russell Hitchcock and Graham Russell scored during their sterling, 40-year career, plus a whole lot more—their biggest collection ever! Air Supply simply ruled the ‘80s charts with Top Five hits like “Lost in Love,” “All Out of Love,” “Every Woman in the World,” “The One That You Love,” “Here I Am (Just When I Thought I Was over You,” “Sweet Dreams,” “Even the Nights Are Better,” and “Making Love Out of Nothing at All,” and they’re all here, newly remastered by Sean Brennan at Battery Studios to make their indelible pop melodies soar even more than before. But this two-CD, 30-track set contains a lot more for Air Supply fans to savor, like their first single for Columbia, “Love and Other Bruises,” and the David Foster-produced “I Can Wait Forever” from the Ghostbusters soundtrack. Liner notes by Joe Marchese follow the duo’s meteoric rise to the top of the charts, and the package includes art from their albums and added photos. Supreme popcraft in every track!

After achieving tremendous success as an international music star in the 1960s and 1970s, Petula Clark began a new phase of her American music career when, after a short hiatus from the States, she was approached by Scotti Brothers Records to return to the recording studio. Label owner Tony Scotti was a fan of Petula's work, and knew that she was capable of singing a variety of styles, including country-flavored tunes. Scotti’s instincts proved dead-on; the slick and twangy toe-tapper “Natural Love,” Petula's debut release for Scotti Brothers, not only brought her back to the Billboard Hot 100 and Adult Contemporary charts but also to the Top 20 Country Singles list in 1981.

After gaining notice as a sideman on his brother Johnny’s Second Winter album, keyboardist/saxophonist/composer Edgar Winter signed to Epic Records and quickly became one of the biggest stars of the ‘70s, releasing eight charting albums during the decade including the #3 smash They Only Come Out at Night. But aside from his commercial success, what makes Edgar Winter such an intriguing artist—and worthy of a 2-CD, 30-track retrospective, his biggest ever—is that he never stayed in one stylistic rut. Elements of blues, jazz, soul, and funk swirl within his music, sometimes even in the same song (e.g. “Frankenstein”), and the level of musicianship—with such sidemen/band members as Rick Derringer, Ronnie Montrose, Dan Hartman, and, of course, brother Johnny Winter—is never less than top shelf. This 30-track collection hits all the high points in chronological order, offering such hits and album tracks as “Give It Everything You Got,” “Keep Playin’ That Rock ‘n’ Roll,” “Rock & Roll, Hoochie Koo.” “Free Ride,” “Frankenstein,” “River’s Risin’,” “Easy Steet,” and more, and pulls tracks from all 11 of the albums he recorded for Epic and Blue Sky featuring all of the various aggregations (Edgar Winter’s White Trash, The Edgar Winter Group, and his Together album with Johnny) that he led. Bill Kopp’s liner notes share the fruits of a 2 ½ hour-long interview, and we’ve included copious photos and album shots. Remast

Hosts of the annual Cropredy Festival and a mere year shy of their 50th anniversary, Fairport Convention is THE British folk-rock group, and many of the most talented and celebrated musicians in the scene have passed through their ranks. Of their many line-ups, generally it’s the Richard Thompson-Ashley Hutchings-Sandy Denny era that gets the most attention, followed by the return of Denny in the mid-‘70s with husband Trevor Lucas. But if there is one line-up that really doesn’t get its due, it would be the quartet of guitarist Simon Nicol, bassist Dave Pegg, fiddler Dave Swarbrick, and drummer Dave Mattacks that remained after Richard Thompson departed following Full House. Together, the four made two fine, underrated studio albums, Angel Delight and “Babbacombe” Lee, but live—as this unreleased August 1971 concert demonstrates—they were a revelation. Never during any of its eras did Fairport rock harder, and, though the band lacked any lead vocalist of the stature of Denny or Iain Matthews, all four members of the group sang and sang well, which lent their on-stage act extra energy.

This is Charles Bukowski. Well, let me just sit here and drink beer. Thus begins the September 14, 1972 poetry reading from which this 1980 release on John Fahey s Takoma label is drawn. This is quintessential Bukowski, from the rude n crude drawing that adorns the front cover to the belches that punctuate the poems. As for the work itself, it s not really what you d commonly conceive of as poetry, but rather observations and vignettes drawn from life s darker side, focusing on perversions, poverty, drunkenness, gambling, and bodily functions. But Bukowski s bemused air and self-deprecating humor blunt the shock value of the words and emphasize the universality of the themes. I want you to hate me, he says to the audience, but it s hopeless he is one of us.

Featuring Rock’s First Great Guitar Tandem in Mike Bloomfield and Elvin Bishop, The Paul Butterfield Blues Band Were Quite Possibly the Best Live Band Around in 1966

Before The Beatles' Revolver, Before The Byrds’ Fifth Dimension, Their Album East-West Brought Eastern Modalities and Lengthy Improvisations into Blues-Based Rock, Setting the Stage for the Psychedelic Revolution to Come

This Legendary Bootleg Captures the Band Two Months Before the Release of East-West and Includes Material from That Album

Also Includes Songs from Their Debut Record and Other Compositions That Showed Up in Later Butterfield Albums As Well As a Pair of Songs That They Never Commercially Recorded

“Work Song” and “I Got a Mind to Give Up Living” Feature Jaw-Dropping Solos from Mike Bloomfield That Point the Way Towards a Whole New Way of Rock Guitar Playing

Liner Notes by Chris Morris Include Quotes from the Band’s Elvin Bishop and Mark Naftalin

The Paul Butterfield Blues Band: Got a Mind to Give Up Living—Live. CD

If the Summer of 1967 was the Summer of Love, the Summer of 1966 set the stage for the musical revolution that was to come. Albums released during the season, like The Beatles’ Revolver and The Byrds’ Fifth Dimension, brilliantly blended the burgeoning influence of Eastern exoticism into the rock music format, and the term “psychedelia” entered the common lexicon to stay. But beating them all to the punch was a multi-racial blues band that cut its teeth in Chicago, far from the hippie havens of London, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Issued in July 1966, The Paul Butterfield Blues Band’s East-West took blues-rock to places only free jazz had dared to tread, offering lengthy, modal improvisational passages that sparked the West Coast rock revolution, and, in Mike Bloomfield and Elvin Bishop, fully unleashing the first great guitar tandem in rock history. Now, Real Gone Music is very proud to release, for the first time in legitimate fashion, a legendary bootleg that captures this singular sextet on the brink of the stylistic breakthrough that would shake the rock ‘n’ roll world to its core: recorded live at Boston’s Unicorn Coffee House 50 years ago in May 1966, two months before the release of East-West, Got a Mind to Give Up Living—Live 1966 reaffirms that The Paul Butterfield Blues Band was simply untouchable live, capable of turning on a dime from slow-burning blues tunes to up-tempo rave-ups.

Composed of Bassist Tim Bogert and Drummer Carmine Appice from Vanilla Fudge, Rusty Day from The Amboy Dukes, and Jim McCarty of The Detroit Wheels, Cactus Was the Hardest-Rocking Supergroup of All Time

Their 1970 Debut Record Featured Scorching Versions of “Parchman Farm” and “You Can’t Judge a Book by the Cover,” as Well as Rabid Originals Like “Let Me Swim” and “Oleo”

One of the Great Guitar Shredding Albums of All Time Courtesy of Guitarist McCarty

Finally back on vinyl where it belongs comes the 1970 debut record from the supercharged supergroup that melted minds and loudspeakers (not necessarily in that order)! We’re talking Cactus, people, with the Vanilla Fudge rhythm section of bassist Tim Bogert and drummer Carmine Appice, Amboy Dukes vocalist Rusty Day, and, oh yes, the AMAZING guitarist Jim McCarty, late of the Detroit Wheels but somehow reincarnated here as the speed freak spawn of Alvin Lee, Jeff Beck, and Jimmy Page. McCarty’s frenetic soloing with an impossibly overdriven tone that Jack White only dreams of matching powers (and we do mean POWERS) incredible versions of “Parchman Farm” and “You Can’t Judge a Book by the Cover” as well as bloozy, boogie-in’ originals like “Let Me Swim” and “Oleo.” Our Real Gone reissue comes in a limited edition (of 700) 180-gram edition that captures every bit of the glorious sonic excess with the original cover art intact (hey, is that cactus giving you the finger?). TURN IT UP!

THE CANNONBALL ADDERLEY QUINTET: The Price You Got to Pay to Be Free. CD

Julian “Cannonball” Adderley first gained notice as the bluesier saxophone voice on Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue (John Coltrane being the other), and in the late ‘60s and early ’70s, he was engaged in an ongoing artistic conversation with Miles, often trading musicians with him and taking the electric innovations of Bitches Brew and filtering them with through his own earthy sensibility. The height of Cannonball’s fusion phase arguably came in 1970, a year that yielded no less than three live albums—all produced by David Axelrod—that have since ascended to cult favorite status.

While San Francisco’s Beau Brummels are best known to casual fans for the British Invasion-style hits “Laugh, Laugh” and “Just a Little,” the two albums they cut for Warner Bros. with producer Lenny Waronker, Triangle and Bradley’s Barn, remain their most artistically ambitious and critically acclaimed records, and continue to exert an influence on modern-day rockers well beyond their modest commercial success. The group was at a low point when they recorded Triangle; they were fresh off the debacle of Beau Brummels ’66, the album of covers that was their ill-conceived Warner debut, and the original quintet had shrunk down to a trio of vocalist Sal Valentino, guitarist and principal songwriter Ron Elliott, and bassist Ron Meagher.

The Staple Singers Straddled the Sacred and Secular Worlds of Like No Group Before or Since

The Enormously Influential Guitar Stylings of Roebuck “Pops” Staples, the Deep-Beyond-Their- Years Vocals of Mavis Staples, and the Exalted Harmonies of Pervis and Cleotha Staples Created a Singular Sound That Somehow Managed to Be Earthy and Soaring at the Same Time

1965’s Amen! and 1966’s Why Were Their Second and Third Albums and First Two Studio Recordings for the Epic Label

Both Produced by Nashville Legend Billy Sherrill

Includes the Hit “Why (Am I Treated So Bad)"

Liner Notes by Gene Sculatti

Remastered by Mike Piacentini at Battery Studios inNewYork

CD Debuts for Both Albums

Mavis Staples Is Currently on Tour Promoting Her New Album Livin’ on a High Note Produced by M. Ward, and Will Appear at Coachella and Bonnaroo

One could make the argument that no gospel group before or since has so successfully straddled the sacred and secular worlds as has The Staple Singers. The enormously influential blues guitar stylings of Roebuck “Pops” Staples, the astonishing, wise-beyond-their-years lead vocals of Mavis Staples, and the exalted harmonies of Cleotha, Pervis, and (later) Yvonne Staples packed a punch whether singing about salvation or civil rights. Now, Real Gone Music welcomes “God’s greatest hitmakers” into the fold with its release of two classic albums by The Staple Singers, their second and third releases and first two studio records for the Epic label, both produced by Billy Sherrill. 1965’s Amen! features the infectious title track along with Pervis’ doleful recitation on the powerful “Be Careful of the Stones You Throw,” while 1966’s Why actually scored a minor hit with the timely “Why (Am I Treated So Bad),” and highlights Mavis at her deep, moaning best on “Move Along Train.” CD debuts for both records, with annotation by Gene Sculatti and remastering by Mike Piacentini at Battery Studios in New York. Two fantastic records…get ready to move and be moved!

With this release, we at Real Gone Music conclude our reissue campaign of all 36 volumes of the Dick’s Picks series; we went in reverse order, so we’re ending with the first volume in the series, which you know had to have a special place in compiler Dick Latvala’s heart! And right off the bat you’ll hear why; the version of “Here Comes Sunshine” that leads off disc one is pretty much universally considered the best ever. Throw in a great rendition of the rarely-performed “Nobody’s Fault but Mine” that leads into a stellar 16-minute jam that flirts with a full-fledged “The Other One” but dances spacily away, and a moving “Stella Blue” before the “Around and Around” finale and you have another great night—in fact, the LAST night—from a great year (1973) of touring….and, as such, the perfect way to begin and end the long strange trip that is the Dick’s Picks series. Out of print for years!

He’s commonly thought of as the quintessential West Coast singer songwriter, but, as his celebrated collaborations with jazz flautist Tim Weisberg and soundtrack composer Domenic Frontiere demonstrate, the Peoria-born Dan Fogelberg had a restless artistic spirit that took him beyond the typical country-influenced, folk-rock sound of his contemporaries. And it is that constant thirst for experimentation and change that make this new 2-CD career-spanning retrospective such a great listen. From rockers like “Phoenix,” “As the Raven Flies,” and “The Power of Gold,” to chart-topping, radio-friendly fare like “Longer,” “Same Old Lang Syne,” “Hard to Say,” and “Leader of the Band,” to more idiosyncratic offerings like “Tucson, Arizona (Gazette)” and “Heart Hotels,” The Definitive Anthology cherry picks 28 tracks from ten of Fogelberg’s studio releases plus two tracks (“Missing You” and “Make Love Stay”) that first were released on his Greatest Hits album to form a full portrait of a multi-faceted, complex songwriter and musician. Bill Kopp’s liner notes guide the listener through each album and track. Remastered by Vic Anesini at Battery Studios in New York!

Never less than authentic, and irascible to the very end, Johnny Paycheck was one of country music’s all-time great honky-tonkers and most incorrigible outlaws, one of the truly larger than life figures in a genre that’s full of ‘em. Paycheck got his break in the early ‘60s backing up George Jones (who appears on a couple of hit duets on this collection), then changed his name from Donald Lytle to Johnny Paycheck and recorded some cult classic hard country sides with maverick producer Aubrey Mayhew on the Little Darlin’ label. Nashville producer Billy Sherrill brought him to Epic, where he scored a series of pop-flavored smashes, but not even Sherrill could tame him, and by the mid-‘70s Paycheck joined the outlaw country movement, which suited his renegade temperament just fine. “Take This Job and Shove It,” “Slide Off of Your Satin Sheets,” and “I’m the Only Hell (Mama Ever Raised)” (all included here) were among his biggest outlaw sides. In the end, Paycheck succumbed to some of the self-destructive tendencies he celebrated in song and wound up in jail, but he left behind some of the greatest country of the ‘70s. Now, Real Gone Music has put together the ultimate collection of his seminal Epic recordings, 40 songs including a full 32 of his chart hits for the label featuring such classic tunes as “She’s All I Got,” “Someone to Give My Love To,” and “Mr. Lovemaker.” Chris Morris’ liner notes explore the life, music, and times of one of country music’s most colorful characters; remastering is by Vic Anesini at Battery Studios. Essential, real country!

--Originally Released on Vinyl Only Overseas in an Inferior Package That Jammed Both Records Inside a Single Album Jacket Pocket

--Real Gone Music’s Limited Edition (of 1000) Package Puts This Landmark Album Out on Vinyl in the U.S. for the First Time with Gatefold Packaging Featuring a Luminous Photo of the Movie’s Four Female Leads

Waiting to Exhale was a phenomenon on so many levels. First, it was a literary phenomenon, as the 1992 novel launched author Terry McMillan to superstardom. Then, when the feature film based on the book was released in 1995, it became a broader cultural phenomenon a mainstream Hollywood film focusing on the lives of four African-American women was a genuinely revolutionary act at the time. And, finally, it was a musical phenomenon, as its soundtrack seamlessly blended female R&B divas new (Whitney Houston, Brandy, Mary J. Blige, etc.) and old (Aretha Franklin, Patti LaBelle, Chaka Khan) in a masterful suite of songs composed and produced by Kenneth Babyface Edmonds.

Long-time co-owner of the famous Gilley’s nightclub that was featured in Urban Cowboy, cousin to both Jerry Lee Lewis and Jimmy Swaggart, and country music superstar with over 45 chart hits to his credit (and a licensed commercial airplane pilot to boot!), Mickey Gilley is a larger than life figure if there ever was one. Yet, to date, there has never been a comprehensive collection that covered his entire career, which saw him adopt honky-tonk, countrypolitan, and “crossover” country-pop styles with equal success over three decades.